1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus and a fuser therefor, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having a print media-releasing member for releasing a print medium from a heating roller, and a fuser for such an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a print media feeder 110 for feeding print media, an image forming unit 120 forming a toner image on the print medium conveyed from the print media feeder 110, and a print media ejector 130 discharging the print media conveyed from the image forming unit 120 to the outside.
Here, the image forming unit 120 includes a developer 121 having a photosensitive drum 122 for forming a toner image on a print medium 1, a transfer roller 123 rotating correspondingly to the photosensitive drum 122 with the print medium 1 placed in-between, and a fuser 124 for fusing toner onto the print medium 1 having the toner image formed thereon.
The fuser 124 is composed of a heating roller 125 heating the print medium 1 being conveyed from the developer 121 and a press roller 126 pressing the print medium 1 towards the heating roller 125. The toner formed on the print medium 1 is melted by the heating roller 125 and pressed by the press roller 126 therebelow to thereby be fused on the surface of the print medium 1. The print medium 2 fused with the toner is conveyed to the print media-ejector 130 and discharged to the outside.
In the above conventional technique, however, the toner on the print medium 1 is in contact with and pressed on the heating roller 125, so that the toner is likely to attach to the surface of the heating roller 125 during the fusing process. In this case, the print medium 1 sticks to the surface of the heating roller 125 by means of the toner and then rotates together with the heating roller 125. Thus, the print medium 1 itself may be creased and consequently jammed inside the image forming apparatus 100.
Moreover, in a case where the surface layer of the heating roller 125 is formed of a resilient material such as rubber, the print medium 1 attached to the heating roller 125 must be separated therefrom, without damaging the heating roller 125.